Severe Weather

1980s music stars then and now

No listing of the biggest songs of the 1980s would be complete without the likes of "I Want a New Drug," "If This Is It" and "The Heart of Rock & Roll," all of which were featured on the 1983 album "Sports" by Huey Lewis and the News.

Lewis (seen here in 2014) and his band are still at it today, releasing their first new album, a Stax Records tribute album, in nearly a decade in 2010. The band also released a 30th anniversary edition of their "Sports" album in May 2013, including a second disc with live versions of each original song.

After first finding success in the late 1970s with songs like "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On," became even bigger in the 1980s with the songs "Shakin'" and "Take Me Home Tonight," the latter becoming his biggest hit.

Money's career faded by the 1990s, but he continues to perform and tour regularly today. He also popped back into the spotlight in 2012 when he appeared in a GEICO insurance commercial playing himself as the owner of a travel agency who sings "Two Tickets to Paradise" to a family booking tickets for a vacation.

If you were into pop music in the early 1980s, there's a good chance you once owned a copy of Wham's smash 1984 album "Make It Big," which featured the hits "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper."

Wham had a short shelf-life, breaking up in 1986, with George Michael leaving Andrew Ridgeley behind for a successful solo career. Michael's seen here in 2011.

Cyndi Lauper helped make the 1980s more colorful, with songs like "Time After Time," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "She Bop" and "True Colors" making her a star.

Lauper arrives at the 4th Annual "Home for the Holidays" Benefit Concert at Beacon Theatre on Dec. 6, 2014, in New York City.

Jon Bon Jovi and his band have been rocking out since 1983. As much as any 1980s hair band, Bon Jovi delivered the goods, as seen here in the video for 1985's "In and Out of Love."

Three decades after he started out, Bon Jovi is still rocking, albeit with a shorter hairstyle. "What About Now" is the group's 12th studio album, coming 30 years after their debut. He's seen here performing on Feb. 12, 2015, in New York City.

U2 and Bono were no strangers to 1980s hair, as seen here at a 1983 show in Norway.

Madonna, seen here on the cover of her 1985 album "Like a Virgin," was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s.

Madonna's seen here in May 2013 at the Billboard Music Awards.

Prince didn't just dominate the music scene in the 1980s, he also became a bona fide movie star, as seen here in 1984's "Purple Rain," despite dubious, at best, acting ability.

He hasn't made a movie since 1990's "Graffiti Bridge," but Prince has continued to rock out, as seen here at at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.

Bruce Springsteen had already had several hits in the 1970s, but it was in the 1980s that he became huge, with hits like "Hungry Heart," "Born in the U.S.A.," "Dancing in the Dark" and "Glory Days." He's seen here on the cover of his 1987 album "Tunnel of Love."

The Boss is still going strong today. He's seen here a pre-concert sound check in February 2014.

Any conversation during the 1980s about the greatest guitar players began and ended with Eddie Van Halen.

Though the band has gone through several different incarnations since their 1980s heyday, it's still rocking today, including a 2012 reunion tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth and a new album. Van Halen is seen here during a warm-up gig for their tour.

Love him or hate him, Billy Joel was unavoidable in the 1980s. He took his success from the 1970s and built on it with even more hits, including 1983's "An Innocent Man."

While he doesn't perform as often these days and hasn't released a new record of pop music since 1993, Joel can still bring it. He's seen here during a concert at Madison Square Garden in December 2014.

Phil Collins not only found success in the 1980s with his band Genesis, but also broke out as a solo artist. Shown here is his 1985 album "No Jacket Required," which included the hits "Sussudio," "One More Night," "Take Me Home" and "Don't Lose My Number."

Collins released an album of Motown covers in 2010 and then announced his retirement in 2011 to focus on his family life. He's seen here in November 2013.

The Police had several hits in the 1970s, but their 1980 record "Zenyatta Mondatta" featured the hits "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me." The decade would also see the band record such hits as "Invisible Sun," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Every Breath You Take."

The Police reunited for a reunion tour in 2007-2008, but lead singer Sting, seen here in November 2014, also continues to make music as a solo artist.

Perhaps no band has made such an impact with their debut as Guns N' Roses did with their 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction." The band's dirty, dangerous and mean record was a turning point for 1980s heavy metal and ranks as the highest-selling debut album of all time.

Although nearly all of the original band members have since left, Axl Rose is still doing his thing, as seen here during the opening night of the band's second residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in May 2014.

Janet Jackson was 15 years old when she recorded her 1982 self-titled debut album. Over the course of the rest of the decade, she would record such hits as "What Have You Done for Me Lately," "When I Think of You," "Control," "Nasty," "Miss You Much" and "Rhythm Nation."

Jackson, seen here in 2013, released a greatest hits album in 2009 and then toured in support of the album throughout 2011.

Lionel Richie had one of the biggest hits, and most talked about music videos, of the 1980s with 1986's "Dancing on the Ceiling." He also co-wrote "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson and recorded other hits such as "Truly," "Say You, Say Me," "Hello" and "Stuck on You."

Richie, seen here at the 2014 Billboard Touring Awards, went country with the well-received album "Tuskegee" in 2012. The album, which saw Richie reinterpreting some of his earlier songs with guest country music artists, went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum.

The Cure, seen here in this 1989 publicity photo, saw their profile rise throughout the 1980s with such songs as "Just Like Heaven," "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm in Love."

The Cure's lead singer, Robert Smith, is seen here during a concert in 2012.

Going by the name John Cougar, John Mellencamp broke through in the 1980s, especially with his 1982 album "American Fool," which featured both "Hurts So Good" and "Jack & Diane." The rest of the decade saw him record songs such as "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town" and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."

The Cougar part of his name long gone, Mellencamp continues to record and perform today, including at the annual Farm Aid concert, which he cofounded in 1985 with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He's seen here in concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in February 2015.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, seen here on the cover of his 1981 "You Want It, You Got It" album, was responsible for such 1980s hits as "Straight from the Heart," "Cuts Like a Knife," "Run to You," "Somebody," "Heaven" and "Summer of '69."

Adams, who continued to see success through the 1990s, is seen here in London on May 13, 2014.

Hall & Oates had been making music since the early 1970s, but they broke through in the 1980s with hits like "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" and "Maneater."

John Oates and Daryl Hall are seen here at the 29th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on April 10, 2014, in New York City.

Pat Benatar was one of the most played artists in MTV's early days, thanks to her top 10 hits "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "Love Is a Battlefield," "We Belong" and "Invincible."

Although the spotlight has faded a bit for Benatar, she continues to record new music and tour. She's seen here in June 2012.

Billy Idol's 1982 self-titled full-length solo debut included the hit song "White Wedding." He would also record such songs as "Dancing with Myself," "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face" during the 1980s.

Idol continues to tour these days, as seen here during a concert in 2012.

Tom Petty, seen here on the cover of the 1981 record "Hard Promises," recorded some iconic rock hits with his hand, the Heartbreakers, in the 1980s, including "The Waiting," "Refugee," "Here Comes My Girl" and "Don't Come Around Here No More." His solo debut, 1989's "Full Moon Fever," included the hits "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream."

Petty and the Heartbreakers continue to make new music and tour today. The band released their 13th studio album "Hypnotic Eye" in 2014.

The Bangles' 1988 album "Everything" included the hit "Eternal Flame," but the group also had earlier hits with "Walk Like an Egyptian," "Manic Monday" and "Hazy Shade of Winter."

Susanna Hoffs (far right) and The Bangles continue to hit the road today, nearly 30 years after their biggest hits. The band is seen here in 2012.

What would the 1980s be without a trip to the mall? Tiffany broke through with self-titled debut 1987 album, which featured her biggest hit, a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." She also added the top 10 hits "Could've Been," "All This Time" and "I Saw Him Standing There," a redo of The Beatles' song, before her flame burned out as the 1990s arrived.

Today, the former teen icon (seen here at a January 2013 event) continues to record new music and act, including the 2011 Syfy original movie "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid," which featured fellow late-1980s teen icon Debbie Gibson.

Speaking of Debbie Gibson, seen here on the cover of her 1989 album "Electric Youth," she recorded such hits as "Only in My Dreams," "Shake Your Love," "Out of the Blue," "Lost in Your Eyes" and "Foolish Beat" in the late 1980s. When "Foolish Beat" hit No. 1 in 1988, it made her the youngest female artist to write, record and perform a No. 1 single.

Besides her acting career, she has also continued to record and has a big following in Japan, where her 2010 album "Ms. Vocalist" reached the top 10 and spawned the No. 1 single "I Love You." Gibson is seen here performing at "The Spirit Of Christmas Concert" at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Dec. 18, 2014, in New York City.

Although Blondie broke up after their 1982 album "The Hunter," those two years still produced the hits "Call Me," "The Tide is High" and "Rapture." The band also rode the success of the 1979 songs "Heart of Glass" and "One Way of Another" into the early part of 1980.

The band reformed in 1997 and continues to record today, releasing their ninth studio album, "Panic of Girls," in 2011. Lead singer Debbie Harry is seen here in February 2015.

English rock band Duran Duran might just as well be the soundtrack for the 1980s, with such hits as "Girls on Film," "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio," "The Reflex" and "A View to a Kill," the last of which even earned them a Golden Globe nomination.

Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon attends the "Duran Duran: Unstaged" premiere during the 6th Annual MoMA Contenders Series at Museum of Modern Art on Nov. 4, 2013, in New York City.

Culture Club and lead singer Boy George scored hits such as "Karma Chameleon," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" in the 1980s.

Overcoming substance abuse and legal problems that derailed his career in the 1990s and 2000s, Boy George has reunited several times with Culture Club, most recently for some shows in 2011.

Rapper LL Cool J found success in the 1980s with such songs as "I Can't Live Without My Radio," "I'm Bad," "I Need Love," "Going Back to Cali" and "I'm That Type of Guy."

However, today he's more known more for his acting, including the movies "Deep Blue Sea," "Any Given Sunday" and "S.W.A.T.," and the TV crime drama "NCIS: Los Angeles."

When it comes to 1980s hair metal bands, few bands could compete with Poison. They had the touseled hair, the outrageous outfits and hits such as "Talk Dirty to Me," "Nothin' but a Good Time," "Fallen Angel" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Poison has continued to tour, most recently with the likes of fellow 1980s survivors Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. The band's lead singer, Bret Michaels, is seen here in July 2014.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.